Fire And Rain
by Percabeth is perfect
Summary: Annabeth is a sweet girl with good grades and a positive outlook on life... despite her abundant bumps in the road. Percy, is the complete opposite. Rebelling in his teenage years, his mother decides it's best to send him away for the summer. What happens when the two worlds collide? Will Percy be able to give up his old ways for Annabeth? Percabeth fic, Rated T just in case!
1. It's a long walk home

**A/N: A little background information...**

**The farm is set in Texas, I know that's a cliche but I'm British so that's all I can offer. Annabeth has lived with Jen for 3 years (that will make more sense later on.) and Percy's real dad left while Percy was a young child, Paul Blofis is still the same guy as he was in the books, only he's rich due to reasons I'm sure your creative minds can piece together just for now ;).**

**Anyway, I hope you like the story and although I hate asking for reviews...well.**

**- M**

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**Annabeth**

"You nervous?" I asked Jen, leaning over the kitchen counter and stuffing a piece of toast into my mouth. Jen was running back and forth, trying to make everything spotless before her trip to the airport to pick up her grandson, (yippee!) Peterus...or something like that. I wondered how she made her way around the kitchen so swiftly, sweeping dust from every corner at an impressive pace. Jen wasn't _old _old, like the grandma's you see in movies that cross the streets with their walking sticks and tiny purses, no, she could easily look middle-aged at first glance.

Anyway, Peter-...Percy? I think it's Percy. He's going to be staying with us this summer, since his mom married a rich guy, apparently he went off the rails a bit; Partying, drinking, disrespect towards others, you name it! I sure was excited to meet this bundle of joy!

"I don't know, Annabeth. I haven't seen him since the wedding...I've heard he can be a little..." She paused. I swallowed a lump of toast before finishing her sentence. "Big headed."

"Annabeth!" Jen scolded, but I could tell she wasn't really angry. I smirked and wiped the crumbs off of my hands. "Just kidding, Jen. Alright, good luck and everything...I-uh, I gotta go feed the chickens, gimme a shout when you get back alright?"

"Alright, sweetie." Jen sighed, sliding her coat on and probably bracing herself.

I spent an hour or so in the barn, I loved it in there; It was a place to be alone...without actually being alone. Okay, I'm aware that they're just chickens, but their presence comforted me. When I was growing up, my mom never allowed pets, but now that I lived here, I could be with animals as much as I wanted.

I did miss my parents though, so much. I used to fall asleep on the sofa, wedged in between them both. My dad would hold my hand while my mom played with my hair, I wish I hadn't taken it for granted. I wish I could just be curled up on that sofa with them next to me, just one more time...

By the time I was ready to drift out of deep thought and enter the real world, my jeans had mud all over them and my hair was a frizzy mess in a ponytail - Great for first impressions! I sighed, mentally said goodbye to the chickens (assuming their advanced brains could read minds.) and walked out into the delicious summer breeze. I let the wind push my bangs out of my face and I felt content, theoretically speaking, this should be my least favorite time of the year. But it couldn't ever be, I'd always love summer.

As if an cue, Jen's car pulled up outside the big, old house. I didn't feel nervous, just disappointed, I guess. Disappointed that my summer would be interrupted by a stranger...an evidently douche-y stranger. But I decided to be fair. Maybe his parents were just strict and over-reacting, maybe he only acted out in front of his friends, surely he wouldn't be an ass in front of his grandparents...right? Wrong.

I walked in through the back door, awaiting Jen and the person I'd be spending 8 weeks with.

The minute that door swung open, I knew we were in for a hell of a holiday.

"Percy, where would you like these bags?" Jen's voice sounded venomous as she lugged Percy's bags through the front door. I felt sort of sick, just looking at him. He was gorgeous, obviously. But that's what made me feel even angrier about him being stood in our hallway, not even looking up from his phone.

One glance and I could see straight through him; He made the girls swoon, but he didn't really _care_ about any of them, he'd just sleep with them and dump them. He probably hated his step dad and wanted to rebel. He was the popular boy, a jerk to anyone who wasn't popular, and lastly, his attitude towards life sucked. He had everything a boy his age could wish for, yet he'd still find something to complain about. Like being stuck here all summer, for example.

"Wherever." He mumbled, tapping away on that damned phone.

Jen sighed, glanced at me as if to say: _You were right about the Big-headed thing _and began dragging the bags up the stairs.

Percy remained silent, I didn't think he knew I was there, so I decided to leave him be, pulling out a bottle of water from the fridge. "Aren't you gonna say hi?" A figure entered the room, I turned to see (obviously) Percy, leaning on the door frame, phone still in hand and a flirtatious smile that he'd soon realize wouldn't work on me.

"Hi." I said simply, taking a sip of water and averting eye contact.

He sort of snorted like he was surprised by this. Like he thought every girl he ever spoke to would fall to his feet and beg for mercy. I, however, was not affected by his distracting green eyes or tight jeans. Nope. I wasn't even attracted to Percy, especially not his deep, raspy voice and consistent lip biting.

"What's your name?" He continued, I wanted to roll my eyes so bad, but I controlled myself. "Annabeth. I assume you prefer Percy to Perseus?" I replied, actually making an effort to be sweet.

Percy ignored me, distracted by his phone once again. I actually did roll my eyes this time, feeling deeply irritated and decided to let him adjust to the place alone.

I shoved past him and made for the stairs, feeling more and more angry as I thought about it further. Ignoring me? In _my own house? _I grumbled and stomped up each step, loud enough for him to hear.

Before I even reached the bedroom, I heard him grumble to himself. "This summer is gonna suck."

I wanted to shout back "YES, IT IS. BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE TO RUIN IT!" But I controlled myself, once again.

I figured I'd have to control myself a lot this summer.

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**Review quick and I'll update quick! :) - M  
**


	2. Playing with fire now

**A/N: Hey guys! Just so you know, the titles of the chapters will all be lyrics of relevant songs...if you want to listen to any of them then just let me know and I'll start adding the actual title and artist of the songs at the end of every chapter.**

**Anyway, I know that the way I portray Percy is nothing like him AT ALL and I don't intend on twisting his character into a random person with Percy's identity, (I hate it when FF authors do that) I just want this to come across as what Percy would be like if things were different. But don't worry, the Percy we know and love will be making his appearance sooner or later...  
**

**Oh, and anyone wondering how old Percy and Annabeth are in this story; They're 16.**

**I'm really thankful for the reviews/favorites/follows so far! Thanks everyone, keep them coming, I love any feedback :)**

**- M**

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**Percy**

I was pissed off.

Let me just make one thing clear; I wasn't pissed off about the room or the house or whatever. I may be part of a rich family but I'm not some kind of prick that refuses to stay in a place because the floors aren't polished with melted gold or because the rooms aren't the size of a football pitch. I didn't care about any of that, the house was nice and my room was alright.

But what I freaking _did_ care about was the fact that my mom flew me over to No-wheresville Texas, so that I would stop 'acting out' and be closer to my family.

My _family?_

First of all, I hadn't seen my grandma for what? 4 years at least? Excluding the Christmases and birthdays, we barely kept in contact. So why all of a sudden was she considered _family_? She hadn't even told me about this random blond chick who'd been living with them for like 3 years. Which, by the way, still really confused me. Why didn't she live with her parents? I wanted to ask about it in the car as we drove away from the airport, but my grandma stiffened when I mentioned anything, so I decided I should just leave it.

I was stuck on a farm all summer with no signal, no parties and an ...average looking girl. Well, maybe not _average. _I mean, she was quite cute looking with her shocking grey eyes and full pink lips, but to be honest, she dressed like a boy and her hair was kinda messy in that pony tail. The shirt she wore did absolutely nothing for her appearance, I bet she'd look great in a tight little dress or something, maybe she even had some curves that were invisible behind that huge shirt...

Speaking of curves,

The hottest girl in school had been texting me all morning. I think she wanted me, which was awesome. We met at a party and she was all over me like a rash, it was a little irritating at times, she clung to my arm and her breath reeked of alcohol, but who cares, right? She was _the _hottest girl in our entire year.

Her texts were also a little dull. Well, really dull. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but it was hard to care about what her friend told her at the weekend or about the crappy music she listens to.

Anyway, I was texting this girl at around dinner time. Annabeth was leaning over the kitchen counter, dipping a pickle into a peanut butter jar and munching on it contently. I looked up at her briefly, I guess I'd underestimated her appearance. I still didn't think she was flawless or anything, but I saw something about her that I didn't usually see in girls. Her button nose was so cute and I made a mental note that whoever got to plant a kiss on that little nose would be one lucky guy.

Then I mentally kicked my own ass for thinking that.

Looking away abruptly, I saw another text pop up on my phone.

_"So what r u doin now?"_

I replied almost immediately.

_Sat here with Farm Girl Freak. Soooo bored!_

"Who are you texting?" Annabeth's voice snapped me back into reality. I grinned and glanced back down at my phone. "Just some girl. She's unbelievably hot." I'm not exactly sure why I emphasized it so much, maybe I wanted to make her jealous...

Annabeth took another bite out of her Peanut Pickle. "Is she unbelievably _stupid_ too?"

I snorted at her. She wasn't _stupid _I thought as I looked down at my new message.

_Well im watchin titanic. i dont understand why ppl cry over this movie? its just a film! its not like it really happened lol :)x_

Never mind.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" I asked distantly, trying to inform via text that the Titanic was a historic event whilst talking to Annabeth. Men can multitask. Annabeth wiped her hands on her shirt and began playing with the loose curls that should've been tied back with the others but managed to escape. "I-uh...no." She replied awkwardly.

I looked up from my phone and placed it on the counter, meeting Annabeth's eyes, she seemed to be blushing.

"Why not?" I pushed, leaning over and placing my arms on the surface so that my face was closer to hers, she really did have interesting eyes. "That's none of your business." She mumbled. I felt embarrassed that I even asked, which was slightly strange considering the fact that girls _never _embarrassed me.

After a moment of silence I spoke again. "You really don't like me, do you?"

Annabeth squinted her eyes, as though she was trying to stare straight through me, I was starting to believe that she could. "So far...no, I don't." She stated with a smirk. She was being playful, but I knew that she secretly meant it. I shuffled even closer to her, which probably made her uncomfortable. Good. I wanted her to be intimidated by me, she didn't mind making me feel strange around her, it was her turn now.

"Maybe I can change that." I mumbled with a smirk.

To my surprise, she smiled back.

"Maybe."

And that's when my phone vibrated in between the both of us. The screen lit up and presented a new text;

_Oh ok, anyways hav fun with farm girl freak lol :)xx_

My heart stopped as Annabeth glanced down at my phone, then at me, then after a brief silence; she stormed out of the kitchen. "Annabeth, wait!" I called. "You read that totally out of context!"

She glared at me from the bottom of the staircase. "Oh sure! I bet she meant Farm Girl_ Freak _as a compliment!" She exclaimed sarcastically before stomping up the stairs.

"I didn't want to upset you, Annabeth!" I called again, feeling my stomach tie up in knots.

"Too late, asshole." She grumbled and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.


	3. Give it up for at least a second

**A/N: Wow, you guys are awesome! Thanks for everything, it's nice to know that some people are actually enjoying what I write haha.  
**

**Okay, so I have a question; Why is it that most Percabeth shippers demonize Rachel Dare in their FF stories? I mean, I understand that they may not particularly like her because she had a thing for Percy, but it just irritates me when people use her as the worst character in their stories and turn her into a bitch...I'm sure Riordan was trying to make it clear at the end of The Last Olympian that Rachel didn't really like Percy after all anyway.**

**Sorry for ranting, I'm just interested.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter...let's hope Percy can redeem himself.**

**- M**

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**Percy**

I've been here for four days now. Annabeth hasn't spoken to me once since the uh...incident. At first I felt really bad about it, I kept trying to apologize and explain myself to her, but she just ignored me. Yesterday, I'd nudged her at breakfast and whispered the word "sorry." and what does she do? She gets up and moves into the living room with her cereal.

So that's when I decided I was angry.

What more did she expect me to do? She was being childish! It's not like I called her ugly or stupid or anything like that. I personally wouldn't care if someone called _me_ a freak. And you know what's worse? I actually cared about this whole situation! _That's_ what infuriated me the most. Back home, if a girl ignored me, I'd just forget about it. But for some reason with Annabeth, I found myself getting angrier and angrier at the fact that she wouldn't just accept my stupid apology and move on!

I tried to push those thoughts aside for the morning, however. I had bigger problems to deal with; My grandma wanted to take me shopping.

I couldn't exactly say no to her, after she was already pissed at me for upsetting Annabeth and well...I kinda wanted her to see me as family again. I mean, I did love both of my grandparents, but it felt like I was just a pain in the ass to them this summer...I wanted to change that.

So I dressed in a button up shirt and some jeans and sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for my grandma to finish getting ready. Annabeth was silently eating cereal again, which made my blood boil slightly, so I tried to ignore it, I tried to be the _decent _person.

But I couldn't do that.

"Why are you ignoring me? You're kinda acting like a five year old." I stated, glaring at her as she sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Then I noticed something.

She wasn't wearing a baggy T-shirt anymore. She was wearing a tank top...a _tight _tank top. Alright, I'm not gonna be a pervert about this, but I will say that Annabeth had more of a shape than I'd realized, and it sort of made my mouth go dry, despite how mad I was.

"Oh my god, just shut up, Percy!" She exclaimed, her grey eyes staring daggers at me.

"No! Why should I? I've tried and tried to apologize to you and you've just thrown it back in my face! Well, you know what? I don't care anymore. I know you don't want me here but unfortunately, I'm staying! So you can be as stubborn and as childish as you want, it's not gonna make me leave." I ranted, I felt incredibly irritated, I couldn't believe that another human being had the ability to tick me off _this_ much.

Annabeth stood from her chair and towered over me. I didn't notice the way her shirt slid up from the swift movement and revealed her hip bone, I was too angry to notice anything like that.

"You are so _annoying_!" She screamed before shoving past me and stomping up the stairs again.

My grandma emerged shortly after, she seemed agitated, but she didn't mention anything about the argument. We drove to town in her old pick up truck, I was tempted to turn the radio off...or break it when about a million country songs played in a row, my grandma sang along to every one of them.

I wanted to talk to her, fill her in about my life, but I couldn't think of anything good to tell her. Was I really _that _unimpressive that I couldn't even think of an achievement to tell my own grandmother? I bet she was so proud of her Annabeth, Mrs. Straight A's, perfect little Annabeth. Ugh.

We walked around the town for a little while. It was okay, I guess. But I never really liked shopping. The only reason I went to the mall back in New York was because it was swarming with hot girls...there weren't any here. My grandma bought a skirt for Annabeth, (I didn't really comment on it, I thought the skirt was ugly.) she told me that there would be a barn dance next week, I just hoped that I wasn't invited.

When we _finally _got back to the car, grandma was still nattering on and on about Annabeth, it was beginning to bug me. Why was she so special? They weren't even related! Besides, Annabeth is _annoying, _I certainly wouldn't want to live with her if I had the choice, so why were _ they _living with her?

"Grandma," I interrupted one of her country songs in the car, she turned the radio down to listen to me. "Why do you live with Annabeth? I mean, she's _so _irritating. Why doesn't she just live with her parents? Did they kick her out or something?"

She seemed upset that I asked this, her eyebrows knitted together and she gripped the steering wheel tighter, but I wasn't backing away this time.

"Percy," She sighed, the car fell silent for a moment. I watched as her expression changed, she looked sad and tired - an expression I'd never seen on her before. Her voice was gentle and full of hurt when she finally spoke. "Annabeth's parents died 3 summers ago...Y-your grandpa and I were their neighbors. There was a terrible car crash and well, we were all Annabeth had left. Her family rejected her, none of them wanted her living with them for one reason or another, so we took her in, we gave her a home because no one else would." She explained softly.

I felt my stomach drop.

I pressed my hands against my face, feeling absolutely horrified. Annabeth already had enough to deal with this summer, without me being a jerk to her. _Her parents were dead_. I cringed at the memories of this morning, the way I'd spoken to her and upset her, she wasn't overreacting, she was deeply hurt already and I was the one to push her over the edge. I called her a freak. Her family had rejected her... and so had I, a _stranger. _I felt like someone had punched me in the gut and stamped on my chest.

If I felt bad before, it didn't compare to how I felt now. I felt _Awful_. I regretted calling her annoying and childish; She was more grown up than I'd ever be. She had the weight of the earth on her shoulders yet she managed to keep a smile on her face everyday. Poor Annabeth, she didn't deserve any of this.

I had to make it up to her.


	4. It's not like you to say Sorry

**A/N: Since you guys were so sweet with your reviews, here's another fast update! Your reviews give me motivation and without them, I wouldn't bother writing this. I read all of them with a smile on my face so keep them coming! And who knows, I could start making my chapters longer...  
**

**I also have I secret...**

**I wrote this chapter like 8 hours ago so I could've posted it this morning...but I decided to wait. I don't think any one noticed, but so far I've been posting everyday at around 5 or 6ish (UK time) and I'm not sure if I can continue with the daily thing because of school, but I will try my best to post when I can!**

**- M**

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**Annabeth**

"So, how was your day? Did Rich Boy behave himself?" I asked Jen bitterly as I stepped into the house. Today had been so long and tiring, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Me and Phil had been fixing an old truck, I had oil stains all over my shirt and a few nasty cuts, but it was all worth it since Phil promised that the truck would be mine as soon as it was ready to go back on the road. It wasn't really working though, we got the engine to grumble for at least 4 seconds at a time, but it wouldn't budge an inch after that. I guess it needed more attention.

Jen gave me a sharp look. "Don't go using no harsh nicknames like that, little miss." She scolded, placing a freshly cleaned dish into a cupboard.

"Sorry. But you didn't answer my question." I smirked.

I didn't feel angry at Percy anymore, I just felt like I wanted him to leave me alone, I wished he could just fly back to New York or something. I knew one thing for sure; I was going to ignore him all summer, leave him to chat up his stupid girls on his stupid phone and continue being his stupid self. Percy Jackson was insufferable as far as I was concerned, therefore I had no desire to communicate with him.

"He was alright y'know. I think all that boy really needs is an attitude adjustment," She hushed her tone in case a certain dumb teenage boy was creeping near by. "I know he's a little bit of a...well you know, at the moment. But today I saw that he _can_ be his old self, he just needs a little help. Maybe he needs showing what it is to enjoy the simpler things in life." She decided.

"He needs some respect for women." I added. "Do you see the way he spends his time on that phone, talking to like, seven girls at once? It's ridiculous!"

Jen sighed, I felt kinda bad for her; It couldn't be nice to have your only grandson turn into a complete jerk and show up out of the blue after 4 years. I could tell that she loved him no matter what, but she must've been struggling to get her head around the whole situation.

"You should probably get some sleep, Jen. You look exhausted." It was pitch black outside, Phil and Percy must have been in bed already, Jen looked like she was about to pass out. She fought it for a while, arguing that she had to tidy up before bed, but when it hit 12 PM, she was almost flat out and she dragged herself to her room.

I had other plans.

Okay, that sounded like a Percy thing to say. No, I wasn't going to sneak out to a party or take a bottle of wine from the cabinet and get drunk; My plans were to watch a game show that only aired late at night because it got cancelled 2 years ago...and eat cookies.

These late nights by myself were my guilty pleasures, I _loved_ being alone, not all of the time but on occasions like right now, and being alone at night was taking it to a new level. No one could interrupt you _this_ late because everyone's asleep.

I sat on the kitchen counter and watched from our tiny TV, the signal was kinda crappy but I didn't really care. I loved this game show because the questions weren't _easy _like all the other shows, that's why it got cancelled; Society wants stupid television, not television that they can't understand. It was also kinda funny to see the contestants get really confused at the questions.

As I bit into another cookie, I heard the squeaking of floor boards and I froze in my spot, waiting for a ghost or a zombie or anything that would eat my soul for breakfast. The floor boards creaked again and again, increasing in volume until it became clear that someone was awake.

_Oh god_.

Before I could even close my eyes and prey for the noises to be the work of Jen or Phil or even the ghost of Christmas' past, Percy's head poked around the side of the door. His hair was messy from sleep, but he didn't really look tired...he looked downright gorgeou-

_No, Annabeth. Control your damn hormones, woman!_

I stared at him blankly as he stepped into the kitchen, he was wearing a green sweater and pajama pants, I suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing he'd caught me in the act of watching an old game show and eating cookies at half past twelve.

"Hey," He said sheepishly, his voice was rough and sleepy. I didn't want to reply, but I didn't really have a choice. "Hi." I said with a long breath. He just stood there staring at me for a while, until he walked over to me and leaned on the counter. "I couldn't sleep." He whispered. I found myself thinking about the last time he leaned on the counter, how his face was so close to mine that I could smell his minty breath, how I thought he could actually be my friend...that's when I saw the text.

"Listen, Annabeth..." He began, his green eyes looked sad, I looked away from him. "I'm sorry...I mean it this time, alright? I shouldn't have treated you like that... I-I just...I don't even know who I am anymore, y'know? And it's like, I'm realizing all this stuff that I've been ignoring for so long." He sighed heavily. "Like, all the girls that I've... I can't believe that I didn't even care about _one_ of them, I kept trying to think of one that I actually _ liked _as a person, not just their looks but you know what? ...I couldn't think of any."

His eyes were begging me to look back at him, so I gave in, I watched as he almost came to pieces in front of me, I didn't know why he was telling me all this, but I wasn't going to make him stop.

"Then I started thinking about my friends," He frowned. "I don't- I don't think I actually _have_ any."

I couldn't help but scoff sarcastically, Percy was a popular kid_; Of course _he had friends.

"No. I meant _real _friends, Annabeth. Like the people who are supposed to _care_ about you, not just the idiots you get drunk with at stupid parties." He admitted.

I didn't feel bad for Percy, but I didn't feel good about it either. I knew he'd changed since his mom re-married, but it amazed me how a person could switch just like that. This was the real Perseus Jackson and I decided that I liked him, I just didn't know how long it would last.

"I- sometimes... I wish I could just start all over." He mumbled.

I swallowed my cookie and wiped my hands on my shirt, turning to face Percy. He looked like a sad puppy, his ever present cocky grin was replaced with a drained expression, as though someone had just punched him in the face and called him a name.

"You can." I said simply.

Percy shook his head, glancing up at me with those green orbs. "No, I can't. I-"

"I meant _us_, Percy. _We_ can start over." I explained. Percy's face lit up into a grin that I hadn't realized I'd missed. He looked so happy that it made my chest feel weird and my ears heat up. "Really?" He asked hopefully, I almost imploded.

I smirked and held my hand out towards him. "Hello, my name is Annabeth Chase. What's your name, stranger?" I asked dramatically.

Percy's smile made the room less dark as he said; "Hi, my name's Percy Jackson. It's very nice to meet you, Annabeth Chase." and he shook my hand. I worried that my hand was too cold as he enveloped it in his warm one, but he didn't seem to flinch. I raised an eyebrow playfully. "Percy, what an interesting name...is it short for anything?" I questioned.

Percy chuckled. "Nope." He replied, popping the P.

"Are you sure? It seems like it could be short for something really unusual like - Oh, I don't know - Perseus?"

"Oh, quiet, you. It's No weirder than Annabeth!" He defended. "It's not _my_ fault that my name sounds like a brand of dish washing soap." We both laughed and I nudged him with my foot, trying to ignore my mind which was screaming; _HE'S CUTE. HE'S CUTE. HE'S SO SO SO CUTE! _

There was a moment of silence, we both just sat there smiling in the dark, I could hear the TV behind me and the crickets outside, it was comfortable and I realized that if _ this _Percy was around more often, I wouldn't mind being stuck with him all summer, maybe we could even be friends. After a little while, Percy stood in front of me and ran a hand through his messy, black hair.

"Thanks." He mumbled.

I nodded, hoping that I looked as casual and collected as he did, but even for a mature soul such as I; A cute boy talking to me was like an early Christmas, even if he was kind of annoying at times.

"Good night, Annabeth." He said softly.

I sighed and let myself sink into his eyes, I wish I had eyes like his, they were so full of youth and life, they were practically glowing. "Goodnight Perseus...It was a pleasure to meet you."

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**A nice ending for once! Hahaha, let's see how long that lasts...  
**

**- M**


	5. I wish you could see your face right now

**A/N: OH MY GODS! Did I mention that I love you all?  
**

**Yes?**

**WELL I'LL SAY IT AGAIN ANYWAY.**

**I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**I'd also like you all to know that I'm open to suggestions about future chapters and also, would you guys like me to give you shout outs in the next chapter? Let me know, I'll pick a few people out and mention them. I feel rude for not replying hahaha! But I do read them and I reply in my mind! :)  
**

**This is a little bit of a filler...but it's not completely uneventful. Sorry about the length, too. I promise I'll make the next one longer.  
**

**- M**

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**Percy  
**

I woke up at around 6:00am.

Today, I decided, I was going to commence Operation: Fix Percy's Attitude.

I still didn't think there was anything _really_ bad about my attitude in particular, I mean; I'm a teenage boy, my hormones are raging. What did my parents expect me to do? _Not_ sleep with girls? That's insane!

That aside, I guess my mom had a fair point about the other stuff. I didn't know when to keep my mouth shut and respect other people's feelings, (I learned that from Annabeth) and I also couldn't handle not getting my own way. Maybe I'd gotten slightly spoiled and arrogant over the years, I wanted to change all of that.

So, I pulled on the only cheap shirt I owned (I used to sleep in it and I brought it for comfort) and a less-skinny pair of jeans...it wasn't really a noticeable difference, but I hoped Annabeth would appreciate it.

When I got to the kitchen, she was sitting on the counter, reading a book.

I tried to fight away all of these thoughts:

_1. She's cute when she's concentrating_

_2. I want to touch her hair because it looks soft  
_

_3. Her nose_

_5. Her nose is cute_

_6. Her eyelashes are long and dark_

_7. I bet she's good at kissing_

_8. Her nose_

Totally gross, right? But it's cool, I definitely pushed those girly thoughts out of my head. No problem.

Annabeth looked up from her book, her face went from bored to absolutely dumbfounded when she saw me. "Percy! Are you aware that it's half-past six in the morning?" She exclaimed, referring to the fact that I usually wake up at midday. I shrugged casually, digging my hands into my pockets. "Yeah...I-uh, I wanted to help out this morning, I mean, I know you get up early to collect the eggs. I thought..." I trailed away awkwardly. This was so stupid. Why did I think of this?

Annabeth smiled and shook her head, stunned at my offer. "Well, that's really nice, Percy. Thank you." I shrugged. _Crap...was I blushing? _Then Annabeth closed her book and jumped down from her spot. The scenery outside was beautiful, the sun was radiating onto the grass, giving it an almost luminous color, I actually _wanted _to be out there, I wanted the wind blowing through my hair and the warmth on my skin, maybe it was because I hadn't enjoyed anything like that since I was a kid.

I think I grew up too fast.

"Ready, Rich Boy?" Annabeth teased as she opened the back door, revealing the farm in all its glory. I sighed contentedly and poked at her side. "Ready as I'll ever be, Wise Girl." I insisted, before running out on to the field, Annabeth followed me, laughing as she chased behind. "Wait!" She called, her voice breaking with giggles, but I kept running and running, wanting to run to the end of the world and be 5 years old again. The wind was hitting my face, my arms soaring through the warm air, I felt _young. _I could've ran until my feet fell off, with Annabeth right behind me, the sound of her laughter in my ears the whole time.

I looked over my shoulder and something hit me.

I'd seen Annabeth smile before, but seeing the smile she had now cleared everything up. _That _was her real smile, the corners of her eyes crinkled and her nose scrunched up. Her other smiles were nothing like that, they were small, forced...maybe they were fake.

"Percy!" She screamed again, cutting me out of my thoughts.

I didn't want to think about Annabeth being sad, right now; She was happy. And that was all that mattered in that moment, so I kept running, and she followed.

When we made it to the barn, Annabeth fell on her butt in exhaustion and I parked next to her. "You're an asshole." She decided after catching her breath. Chickens were beginning to crowd around us and occasionally nip at our shirts, probably looking for food. I laughed and leaned back against a stack of hay, Annabeth stayed put however. I noticed the way she'd leaned forward, her shirt was edging up her back, revealing some of the skin. It was weird, I'd never been attracted to someone's back before, but the skin looked soft and she had two little dimples right above the hem of her pants... maybe it was just early and my brain was having trouble functioning.

Or maybe it was just _her. _

But that can't be possible. I wasn't even into Annabeth, she was pretty, but she didn't look anything like the girls I usually hook up with. I liked her as a person, I figured. My mind was definitely playing tricks on me.

I did not see Annabeth Chase as anything more than a friend.

_Then why can't I stop staring at her stupid back dimples?_

After a while of just sitting there and complimenting the weather, we got off our butts and collected the eggs. I broke a few just by picking them up with my clumsy hands, Annabeth laughed. Annabeth dropped a whole carton full, I laughed even harder.

We started telling each other stupid things too.

I told her about the first time I went camping, how my tent got infested with ants and I woke up with about three million bites all over my face. Annabeth laughed and it made me feel good. I also told her about Smelly Gabe and my mom cooking blue cookies and dumb stuff about my first year of High school, but I stopped there; I didn't want to tell her the stories about school _this _year.

I learned that she's into architecture, she told me that her mother used to aspire to become and architect too. I expected her eyes to get teary or her lip to tremble when she mentioned her mother, but she seemed so...okay about it.

Then I remembered the smile.

Annabeth was ironically, a closed book; she refused to show pain.

I didn't want to ask her about it though, I just let her continue talking about all her favorite buildings. After a while, I looked at the time and realized we'd been sat in the barn, talking for 3 hours. Annabeth broke into a fit of giggles again because when I got up; The contents of two eggs was printed onto my butt. I'd sat on two eggs, basically. After overcoming the pain of ruining my jeans, I shoved her shoulder and we both fell over laughing, it wasn't even funny, we knew that...but that's what made it even _funnier. _Have you ever just sat and laughed at absolutely nothing with your friend? And the sheer ridiculousness of the moment just has you bursting into more hysterics every time you thought about it? Well, that's what me and Annabeth were doing and my stomach hurt after a while.

I liked that she was so passionate and eager. I liked that even after our arguments and disagreements, she was chattering away to me like we'd been best friends for years. I liked her baggy T-shirts and ripped up jeans. I liked her _real_ smile and I liked the way some of her hair fell out of her pony tail.

You might even say that I liked _her._

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**Another happy ending? Hmmm...maybe I should consider ending the next one differently *Evil laugh***

**Please review!**

**-M**


	6. I'm in and out of my head

**A/N: Hello! Late update, I've been busy at school. I'm one of the main roles in the play that they're showing at Christmas (Grease) so rehearsals are practically draining all my energy.**

**THIS STORY REACHED 40+ FOLLOWS WOOHOOO! YOU GUYS ROCK!**

**So, did you really believe that the Percy transformation would happen ****_that_**** easily? Sorry guys! Percy can't just switch personalities all of a sudden, it takes time! And they can't be too friendly since this story is called Fire And Rain..those two are destined to fall out every once in a while...**

**A few quick Shoutouts: Thanks for being really sweet with all your reviews! Elmea, PJoHoOFan, Camilla-15-24 and greekgeek15... there are others too and I'm sorry if you weren't mentioned, I still think you're awesome!**

**I hope you like this chapter and I hope you don't hate me for toying with the characters so much!**

**- M**

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**Annabeth**

It all started at breakfast.

Everything was fine before_ breakfast. _Percy and I had spent the whole week goofing around on the farm, I was actually beginning to _like _hanging out with him. He'd wake up early every morning to help out, then at night time; we stayed up late just to talk about anything we wanted. My late night sessions began to feature Percy, I didn't mind it either. It was weird... I guess I liked being with Percy more than I liked being alone. I felt sort of safe with Percy. Like I could tell him all of my deepest secrets and he wouldn't even flinch.

But he never stopped texting those girls, that's what held me back from feeling anything towards him. Not _romantic_ feelings, of course, Percy was just a friend with hypnotic eyes and perfect teeth...anyway, I couldn't feel like he was a_ close_ friend or like he actually cared about me as much as he seemed to at times. It was like he only hung out with me because he _had_ to, like he'd rather be hanging around with the dumb chicks he was texting.

These girls were controlling him, I didn't know who they were or what they looked like, but I knew they were powerful, beautiful and likely to have the ability to sink their claws into any boy they wanted...like Percy.

So, this is what happened;

After spending an hour on the farm with Percy that morning, we went inside to get some cereal, my stomach had been grumbling since I woke up. The minute we sat down at the table, Percy whipped out his phone and his fingers worked at the buttons like he was born to do so. I'm not sure why it irritated me so much, to think his standard and his taste in women was _stupidity._ The thought of him only basing his opinions on looks and completely disregarding personality/IQ was driving me insane.

I didn't say anything, however, because he was still chatting away to me in between messages. He asked me why I never wore my hair down, I explained that my hair got in the way a lot and it was just easier to tie it back, he responded by staring at my scruffy pony tail with a smile, I didn't know why he was smiling, but I felt uncomfortable, like he was laughing at me. But that's when he was about to say something.

"You know, Annabeth, you're like, really pre-"

"Hey kids!" Phil interrupted whatever Percy planned on saying as he swung the kitchen door open. His face was dotted with little bits of toilet paper which had specks of blood in the middle, I stifled a laugh; Phil was always bad a shaving.

"You should just grow a beard, grandpa." Percy commented, hiding his big goofy grin. I was sort of glad that he was hiding it though, because every time he smiled like that I just wanted to grab him and kiss...I mean, _punch_ him in the face. "It would save you a lot of effort...and blood."

"And skin." I added.

Percy smiled. "Yeah, and skin." He agreed. Phil waved us off and slumped into a seat beside us. Phil was scruffy looking, he worked until his fingers bled and wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty, but that's what was so charming and sweet about him. He had grey hair and olive skin, he wasn't pudgy or particularly skinny, he was average, and he was happy.

"Annabeth," He started, leaning over the table and wiggling his eyebrows. "I know of a young man who's wondering whether or not you're going to that dance on Saturday." He informed with a smug smile.

I felt my cheeks heat up. Phil smiled even wider.

"You know Charlie don'cha? The boy who lives a couple houses away? Well, he walked right over to me yesterday and he was askin' all kinds of questions about you. I asked him why and his face goes as red as a tomato. I think someone's got a bit of a crush on you..." Phil teased, poking at my stomach.

My heart was doing little flips inside my chest. Why was Charlie interested in _me? _I only recall speaking to him a handful of times and I wasn't exactly good looking enough for someone to _like _me, especially not Charlie, he was, well...he was attractive.

Charlie had brown eyes, blond hair and a crooked smile, he wasn't _gorgeous_ like...some boys that I knew, but he was nice looking, I could name a few girls who'd kill to get such an offer.

Before I could even form a response, Percy let out a loud sigh and turned towards me, his eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know him?" He asked. I shrugged. "I guess so, I mean, he goes to my school and we used to talk a little in chemistry class..." I trailed away, my voice sounded so small and high pitched, I didn't like it.

Phil sat back and watched us both, he looked slightly amused by what he saw.

"So...you're going on a date with a guy that you barely even know?" Percy asked coldly. "That's a little weird."

"Well...he hasn't even asked me yet." I squeaked.

"But he's going to," Percy scoffed. "And you'll probably say yes, right? Because you think he's cute?" He tried to look casual by spooning more cereal into his mouth, but there was no denying the fury behind his eyes, I didn't know why it bugged him so much, it's not like it had anything to do with him. The room fell silent, Percy stared into his bowl and wouldn't look at me, I felt sick, I didn't want to argue with anyone, I didn't _understand _what he was so mad about. So I tried to look past it.

"So, what are we doing today?" I asked lightly.

Percy stayed silent, still staring into his bowl.

That's when I got angry. "Oh for god's sake!" I roared. "Those girls you talk to and flirt with and _date, _don't try to tell me you _know _every single one of _them_, Percy Jackson!"

Percy stiffened in his chair, he looked upset by my tone of voice, I almost felt bad, like I wanted to say sorry and give him a hug. But his eyes suddenly narrowed and I felt the fire ignite once again. "That's different!" He defended, standing up from his chair, ready to storm out of the room.

"How is it different?"

Phil sank back into his seat, his amused expression dissolved into anxiety, he looked as though he was waiting for us to kill each other any second, but he didn't say a word.

"It just_ is _okay? And it's none of your business!" Percy shouted.

I wanted to punch Percy Jackson in the stomach, I decided punching him in the face could potentially ruin his features and... I didn't want to do that. "You're a freaking hypocrite!" I screamed. Percy's jaw tightened and my knees felt weak, it was so strange to think I had the ability to infuriate someone so much, it was strange to see Percy angry at me after all the nights and mornings we spent just joking around with each other.

"So are you! You say _I'm _annoying? You're the most annoying person I've ever met, Annabeth Chase!"

That's when Phil stood from his chair and tugged Percy away from me by his shirt.

"Enough, you two!" He ordered, his voice soft even as he was tried to show authority, Phil was just too nice to be strict. "Look, I don't know what's going on here but it needs to stop. I won't have silly arguments in this house, especially no-"

"_He_ started it!" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well I'm finishing it!" Phil scolded, exasperated. "You need to learn to get along with each other because like it or not; You're _living together_ all summer."

Everything went silent for a moment. Percy and I both blew out the air from our cheeks, I looked at him, he looked at me, and it was like we were telepathically apologizing to each other. His eyes softened and his mouth sloped downwards, I remembered why I even spoke to him in the first place. He was annoying and selfish and a complete brat at times...but he was _Percy, _and somehow, I couldn't find the energy to stay mad at him.

"I-I shouldn't of said those things." He mumbled.

I nodded in agreement. "Me too, I'm sorry." I said, before pulling him into our first ever hug. His arms wrapped around me, they were so strong and warm, I would've stayed there forever if Phil wasn't stood right next to us, but he was; So I pulled away quickly.

Percy's face looked a little flushed when he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair, I figured my face must've looked ten times worse. Phil smiled in content and ruffled our hairs. "That's much better!" He said cheerfully.

I didn't _feel_ much better though, I was confused and a little irritated, but I dropped it. It wasn't worth the fight. The rest of the morning was a little intense between me and him, I could tell he was still thinking about Charlie and the dance - I was thinking about it too. I definitely wanted to go to the dance, but with Charlie? Maybe it would be fun? Not to mention how jealous some of my friends would be if I told them about it.

But then there was Percy, why was he so upset when he found out that someone liked me? How would he react if I went to the dance with Charlie? I shouldn't of felt bad about it, but I did.

The day went by slowly, I tried avoiding Percy a little, I think he noticed and returned the same gesture, but we seemed to continuously be forced back together again. I didn't want him to not want to talk to me, but I knew how he felt, it was hard to speak to someone whom you'd called annoying a couple of hours before.

I decided it was best to leave the house for a while, that way; I wouldn't keep bumping into Percy and having to pretend like nothing had happened. I headed into town in Jen's pick up truck, it was nice to roll the windows down and let my mix tapes drown out my thoughts. I admittedly bought a plaid shirt for the dance, I definitely wasn't going to tell Percy about it, but it was too cute to resist, it would match the skirt Jen bought me perfectly.

I checked out a few markets and boutiques, not really spending anything, just enjoying the atmosphere. When I finally got home; It was 8 o'clock, and I found Percy on the porch swing outside our house.

I could tell he was in deep thought, I didn't want to disrupt him, but I found myself sat next to him anyway. The stars were embedded like jewels in the sky, Percy was staring in awe as we sat in peaceful silence; Nothing needed to be said, I was there and he was there next to me, that was all that really mattered in the end.

After a while, Percy sighed, I didn't look at him, I was too dazed by the night sky to take any interest. Then I felt his fingers brush against my wrist and I was snapped straight back into reality. His hand reached for mine, I could feel his palm gently running down my arm until it stopped at my fingers, I felt my heart stop.

When I stiffened, Percy hesitated. I wanted to scream at him; "JUST HOLD MY HAND, YOU IDIOT!" but I kept silent, hoping he would. His hand pulled away slowly, and my fingers suddenly felt cold. "Annabeth, why-... why do you shut people out?" He whispered, I couldn't help but shiver when he shuffled closer to me, the sides of our bodies pressing together.

"I-I don't shut people out." I mumbled, distracted his hand which was resting on his lap now, I wanted it to encase mine, like it was about to a few moments before.

"Yes, you do." He breathed, I couldn't understand why he was saying this,but I wasn't going to ask. I just wanted to shut up for a while and look at the stars.

And that's exactly what we did.

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**LONG CHAPTER! If you want any more of these...you know what to do ;)  
**

**- M**


	7. Such a funny way to fall

**Hellooo! I told you I wouldn't be able to update early. Busy rehearsal schedule this week... I had to put my arms around a boy and hold his hand quite a lot, I wouldn't mind but he's so much shorter than me and I kinda have to bend down to reach him hahaha!**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy!  
**

**- M**

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**Percy  
**

I was upset about yesterday.

Annabeth went to bed without saying a word to me, she wasn't being bitter and she didn't storm off, she just silently slipped away from me. I'd wanted to hold her hand, I wasn't trying to make a _move_ or anything, it was supposed to be my way of showing her that I was sorry and that I cared about her... but she got all tense and looked uncomfortable, so I backed off.

Then I told her that she shut people out, I meant it too. I knew she would spend the whole summer reading and ignoring her feelings, she liked watching others live their lives whilst she sat in the background. I didn't want that for her. I didn't care if she wouldn't want to talk to _me_ about her problems, but she could at least deal with them, like talking to my grandma or seeing a counselor; Everyone needs to morn after a loss, I don't think Annabeth allowed herself to.

The dance was tomorrow too, grandma insisted that I came along, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

I kept throwing really obvious hints at Annabeth that I...maybe, sort of... liked her? I was still texting a few girls, partly because some of them were dangerously hot, partly because deep down; I might have wanted to make Annabeth jealous.

But it didn't work.

She didn't seem to care about me flirting with other people, which kind of hurt because_ I _cared when I found out that some random guy wanted to take _her_ out! Ugh...don't get me started on that.

So, this morning I woke up a little later, I didn't feel much like helping out this morning, so I squeezed in an extra few hours of sleep, Annabeth didn't _need_ my help, she just enjoyed my company in the mornings; If anything, I slowed her down.

I dragged my stiff body out of bed at around 10 o'clock, Grandpa was working, Grandma had gone shopping for groceries and Annabeth was nowhere to be seen. I ate breakfast by myself, I didn't know why I felt so darn miserable, I mean, it's wasn't like me and Annabeth were still arguing, so why did I feel like I hadn't spoken to her for days? My phone kept making sounds but I ignored it, I didn't feel much like talking to any of those girls, there was only one girl I felt like talking with right then, and I wasn't even sure if she still wanted to be my friend.

I was about to grab my coat and head outside to find her, but as if on cue; Annabeth barged into the kitchen, her hand on her forehead. I could see blood on her hands but her expression was calm and slightly amused. "I-uh, I was painting one of the pens and I scratched my head on a nail sticking out of the wood." She said sheepishly, probably embarrassed that she had no one else to go to for help.

I stood from my chair and walked over to her, removing her hand and inspecting her scar. It wasn't too deep, just a cut. But it was bleeding pretty bad so I sat her down at the table and fumbled around for some kind of first aid kit.

"A wet cloth will do just fine." Annabeth called from behind, I could tell she was secretly kicking herself for not finishing her work, Annabeth was a perfectionist at times, this must have been killing her. I ran a towel under some cold water and looked over at Annabeth. She was pretty when she smiled, but I didn't think she genuinely felt too happy about scratching her forehead.

I rinsed the towel and sat down in front of her, I didn't want her to feel awkward but I had to get pretty close to her face. As I pressed the cold fabric against her skin, she hissed at the sensation, her grey eyes squeezed shut in pain. "Are you okay?" I asked, dabbing the towel gently around the mark. She nodded after a while, and I felt more comfortable. The coolness began to soothe her, she sighed in content as I gently brushed the cloth backwards and forwards against her head. I had to push a few pieces of her hair out of the way, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Thanks." She breathed as I pulled the towel away. The scar was a little red and puffy, but the bleeding had stopped. It was only then that I realized just how close our faces were, if I leaned forward slightly, our noses could have touched. I found my eyes fluttering down to her lips, I tried to concentrate on my breathing, I didn't want her to notice how strange I felt with her eyes meeting mine, the smell of her peppermint breath, it was all enveloping me, making me want to lean forward and close the distance between us. She seemed to be focused on my lips too and I felt my heart pounding inside of me, I wanted her to kiss me, I thought maybe...

"Did you hear that?" Annabeth's voice interrupted my trail of thought.

"Hear what?" I asked distantly, my eyes still glued to her lips. Annabeth stood from her chair and I felt a sudden kind of emptiness. That's when I heard the knocking in which she'd been referring to, someone was at the door. I followed Annabeth into the hall but sat on the staircase, I knew there wouldn't be anyone calling for me, all my friends were back at home.

When Annabeth unlocked and swung the wooden door open, an unfamiliar boy came into view, he looked nervous and bashful, I knew who it was immediately. "Charlie," Annabeth breathed, not looking as shocked or as irritated as I wanted her to look with him stood there.

He shuffled his feet and dug his hands into his pockets, I wanted to burst out laughing. _This guy? Seriously, Annabeth?_ But I kept my mouth shut.

"Hey, um... so you're g-going to the dance, right? I-uh, I was wondering if, well, you wanted to go with me?" He stuttered, I was waiting for his head to explode or for him to pee himself or something. Annabeth scratched the back of her neck and I could have sworn she glanced at me. I started to feel really bad. I felt bad for holding her back from doing something she clearly wanted to do. Besides, I doubted Loser-Charlie would have any moves to use on her. Maybe I could show her how suckish a date with him would be compared to a date with _me..._yeah, I liked that plan.

"You should go," I said softly, Annabeth turned to me, she looked surprised, sad almost. I sighed, I didn't _want _her to be hanging around with some other boy all night, but I didn't want her to be unhappy either, she'd definitely be unhappy going to the dance by herself. "As long as you save me a dance, Wise Girl." I smirked.

I mentally patted myself on the back for actually sounding somewhat smooth in front of Annabeth for the first time. Annabeth smiled thankfully then turned back to Loser Charlie. "That sounds lovely, Charlie." She said politely, I grinned from my seat, I could tell she wasn't into him.

Charlie's face got all red and he blew out the air from his cheeks. I guess he was _okay _looking, but I tried not to worry about the minor competition. "Okay, great- yeah. I'll-I'll pick you up at seven, okay?" I was almost certain he was distantly related to a tomato.

"Cool. Seeya tomorrow then." Annabeth said sweetly.

Charlie nodded and waved goodbye before walking back to his crappy old car. When Annabeth shut the door, she sat down next to me and I felt warmer than before, maybe the room had just heated up. "You better be there tomorrow too, Rich Boy." She stated, poking my arm.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "And why is that?" I questioned, Annabeth's face began to resemble Loser Charlie's. "Well, I believe I owe you a dance." She noted, pushing some hair away from her eyes. I don't know what possessed me to do such a thing, but I leaned over and kissed Annabeth's cheek softly. She blushed furiously and looked away from me trying hard to force her smile away.

I chuckled and nudged her arm. "It's a deal."

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**Next chapter will be crazy so pleeeaaaase don't lose hope! Sorry about the lack of events in this one!  
**

**- M**


	8. I'm not perfect but I keep trying

**A/N: Hello! Really late update because of Grease, rehearsals are ridiculously tiring and...boys are being weird and stupid at the moment.  
**

**Anyway, I missed you all. I reached 60 follows and 50 reviews this week which is SO cool :) Thanks guys! **

**This is gonna be a long one, just for you.. ;) **

**- M**

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**Percy**

I screwed up again.

Not intentionally; I've been trying so hard to better myself, but we all have our weaknesses...mine was popularity.

Let me go from the beginning. Last night was fine, me and Annabeth watched this totally gross horror movie with zombies and organs and all kinds of nastiness...it was awesome. Annabeth didn't seem to like it too much, but she didn't complain - which I thought was weird.

Okay, I'm not sexist or anything, but I've taken like, six dates to see horror movies and every single one of them screamed or gagged the whole way through, I figured it was just a girl thing. So I guess it was kinda cool that Annabeth didn't mind.

Annabeth fell asleep on the couch before the film ended so I pulled a blanket over her... I may have possibly kissed her head (I can't really uh...remember) and I went straight to bed.

When woke up; It was Saturday, the barn dance would take place later that day. I was actually starting to feel glad that Annabeth would be going with Charlie, I wasn't angry about it at all. Nope. It just gave me a chance to prove how lame Loser Charlie is without even trying, I knew he'd stumble over and blush and act like a dork around her, she'd hate being with him and that's when I'd swoop in and show her what a _real _date was.

Well, that was before the ...thing happened.

Annabeth asked if I would come with her to pick up a few things from town, I wanted to say no, but there was eye contact involved when she asked and I was starting to realize that Annabeth's eye contact had a gravitational pull on me. So obviously; I said yes.

We took Grandma's pickup truck (Annabeth drove) and headed straight towards a second-hand bookstore, Annabeth insisted that she had to buy the third book in the series she'd been reading; When she picked up a book with two people kissing on the front cover, I stifled a laugh as her cheeks turned bright red. _Annabeth Chase... reading romance?_

"I-uh, there's battles and blood and stuff in it too..." She trailed away awkwardly.

I couldn't help but choke out a laugh. "It sure looks like it! What do they do? Make out in front of people until they die of being grossed out?" I snickered.

Annabeth hit my arm. Hard. "Shut up, Rich Boy! This book is totally underrated and-and, how dare you just assume it's some kind of sappy, romantic-"

"You're cute." I stated, interrupting her mad ramble about her dumb ROMANCE book, her face darkened even more and I smirked. She hit my arm again for good measure, (which didn't actually hurt as much as she wanted it to) then departed to pay for her book.

I watched her at the register, nattering away to some woman. The lady looked so delighted that a person of our generation would gladly approach her - in a bookstore, might I add- and be completely happy to make conversation. If Annabeth went to my school, I doubt she'd even be bullied for her lack of feminism or her slight dorkiness, it wouldn't _matter _because she was _Annabeth_. Unlike me. I had to work hard to get people to like me, I had to _try _to gain popularity. And you know what? I bet if I were to be an ugly kid, I wouldn't have a single friend in the world. Because who in the right mind, would like me for _me_? I guess I felt jealous of Annabeth on the most part, jealous that everyone _liked _her so much...including myself. I didn't _want_ to like Annabeth. I didn't want to like _anyone_. I wanted to take advantage of my youth and just be around girls with no emotion involved, that's how it always had been. But then Annabeth came along with her stupid curly hair and stupid pretty eyes and I couldn't help myself. I hated liking Annabeth Chase. I hated Annabeth Chase _not_ liking _me_.

"Just for the record, Percy, I'm only reading these crappy books because there aren't any _real_ men around here, so I have to imagine fictional ones." Annabeth interrupted my thoughts, poking at my chest with a devilish grin.

I snarled as we left the store. "Oh really?" I challenged.

"Yeah."

"Maybe you scared them all away." I backfired playfully, Annabeth shoved me to the side, laughing as I bumped into a kissing couple and scrambled to apologize. I stumbled after her, the sidewalk was filled with people now, not like it was last time I visited town - Saturdays are the worst for shopping.

"When's the last time you had an actual girlfriend, Percy Jackson?" Annabeth pulled out randomly as we entered a clothing store, I didn't question why we were in there, I just followed. I tapped my chin with my finger, pretending to think whilst Annabeth observed a row of shirts.

"Well..." I breathed, actually thinking this time. "I guess- technically..."

"Oh my god. Don't tell me _you've _never had a girlfriend!" She exclaimed, a little too loudly for my liking. I tried to play it off, cocking an eyebrow at her and giving a sexy smile. "Why are you so surprised, Wise Girl?" I asked smoothly.

"Percy, you're texting a girl as we speak! You're telling me that you haven't dated_ anyone_?" She exclaimed. I looked down at my phone, realizing that I'd been mindlessly texting a response to one of the cheerleaders at my school, I guess it was starting to become a habit, it had gotten to that point where texting was just a part of my daily routine.

That's when I felt embarrassed. Of course I'd never had a girlfriend before, why would I? It's not like I _cared _about any of them enough to actually _date _them. My ears were heating up. I didn't want Annabeth to know the extent of how much disrespect I had demonstrated towards females since puberty, I wanted her to _like_ me, after all.

I gulped and put my phone back into my pocket.

"What about you, have you ever had a boyfriend?" I sidetracked.

Annabeth moved to another rack of clothing, avoiding my eyes. "No. But I-I kinda used to have a crush on someone...he- it doesn't matter." She mumbled. I followed her to the other side of the store. "Of course it does, you can tell me." I promised, suddenly really interested. I didn't want to think of Annabeth having crushes on boys, but something inside of me _had _to know.

She sighed, brushing her hand against a few pairs of folded jeans, pretending to be interested in them.

"Well...his name was Luke. He was nice to me, okay? Then he moved away. That's it. It wasn't some kind of cheesy love story, he didn't like me, he didn't know that _I _liked him. So he left without saying goodbye." She rambled, trying to hide the pain in her voice.

My shoulders slumped.

What if Annabeth happened to ever like me, too? I mean, I knew that the chances were slim, but it wasn't impossible. And if she ever had a crush on me, I'd be doing the same thing that Luke did to her, I was only here for the summer, then I'd be gone. Just like everyone else Annabeth cared about.

"That shirt is cute." Annabeth broke the brief silence, pointing towards a plaid shirt in the Men Section. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back at her, the last topic dismissed from my thoughts already. "No." I said firmly. Annabeth pouted. "Oh, come on!" She teased, walking over to it and picking the red material up by its collar. "It would look nice on you and it's only four dollars!" She exclaimed.

I huffed. "Exactly why I don't want it." I stated stubbornly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You know, you don't have to wear freaking designer to _everything. _What about the dance tonight, you'll stick out like a sour thumb if you turn up wearing _that_ stuff!" She argued.

I looked down at the shirt. It was _okay _and Annabeth did have a point, but I didn't want to be seen in it, it just wasn't very _me _and no relatively popular kid at my school would be caught dead in a four dollar plaid shirt. "You're going to be the death of me, Chase." I groaned.

"Will you at least try it on?" Annabeth pleaded, her bottom lip pouting slightly. Despite her adorable ability to be a dork, I stood my ground.

"No. I'm not even gonna try it on." I decided.

Her lip pouted even more. "Pleeaaase?"

Then I couldn't even help myself. I _hated _myself for giving in so easily to a _girl.._.but there had to be something in it for me. "On one condition," I smirked as Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "You have to kiss me." I whispered to the girl in front of me, who's face glowed with embarrassment. Annabeth fought away her smile and stepped away from me. "No, Percy I'm not kissing you!" She giggled, I felt my heart rate increase.

"On the cheek?" I compromised.

Annabeth's eyes squeezed shut, I thought she was going to punch me in the face, but to my surprise; She stepped over to me and pressed her soft lips against my cheek. In my opinion, they lingered there for a second, but maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me.

With her face flushed as she pulled away, she crossed her arms and looked at the floor. "You have to try the shirt on now." She mumbled. I grabbed it off of her and because I'm a cheesy asshole, I quickly stole a peck to her cheek as I took the shirt. With a wink; I walked over to the changing rooms, leaving Annabeth in a blushing mess.

When I walked back out, I was dressed in my jeans and the four dollar shirt - which admittedly wasn't so bad. It was actually quite flattering on my arms and chest. I still didn't like the material much and red really wasn't my color, but when I looked in the mirror; I looked older. Mature, _respectable... _features that I lacked in seemed to have excelled simply by dressing down a little bit. I walked over to Annabeth and lifted my arms from my sides expectantly. I knew immediately that she liked it by the way her eyes went all shiny as she looked at me and the corner of her mouth dug into her cheek slightly, it warmed me internally. I wondered if Luke ever dressed this way, maybe that was why she liked seeing me wear it so much, it gave her a little taste of someone she missed, whether she missed him romantically or she simply missed his presence as a friend after accepting the fact that he was gone, I didn't know. But I hoped it was the second one.

"You look great, Percy."

I felt my cheeks heat up a little, she was staring at me with her grey eyes, I caught her briefly glancing at my arms, but I let it slide that time, I was too bashful and somewhat giddy to be smooth anyways.

Then, as if on cue; Laughter erupted from a couple of meters away. _Girl _laughter.

I turned at the same time Annabeth did, as I suspected; there was a group of girls staring straight at us, Annabeth looked terrified, my eyes were glued on a blond girl at the front, and my heart suddenly stopped when I got a good view of her.

"Alexa?" I asked dumbly.

It was definitely her, she sat next to me in math last year, she was stupid, annoying and loud, but my god; She had great legs. Half of her family lived over here, just like mine. We spoke about it a couple of times to fill the awkward silences, but I never expected to bump into her while I was visiting. The other girls were nameless to me, I'd never seen them before in my life. They certainly fit the criteria of the girls back at home, just like Alexa.

"Oh my god, Percy Jackson, what are you _wearing_?" She exclaimed, her friends giggled again, I felt Annabeth reach for my arm, but I pulled away. I felt so embarrassed and angry, it was all Annabeth's fault, I didn't _want _to wear this stupid shirt in the first place, now Alexa was going to tell everyone at school!

"Is that your girlfriend?" Another girl pointed at Annabeth, and Annabeth's face turned pale. I felt so exposed, they were all looking, _laughing. _I'd never been laughed at before, I never wanted to be laughed at again. "This is _so _going on Facebook." Alexa grinned, pulling her phone out and snapping a picture.

That's when I _really_ lost it.

"Stop it!" I shouted. "She's not my girlfriend! And this shirt isn't mine, okay? In fact," I lifted the shirt over my head and threw it aside, luckily I was still wearing my T-shirt underneath. "It's hideous and I wouldn't be seen _dead _in anything like that. You _know _me Alexa!" I exclaimed desperately.

Alexa and her friends were still laughing, but they soon got bored and left the store, but Alexa couldn't leave without throwing one more spiteful comment at Annabeth, who was cowering behind me and trying to look brave in front of Alexa. "Your girlfriend's pretty plain looking, Jackson." She snarled, shooting Annabeth a look. "She dresses like a boy too." A girl behind her added, and they all giggled. I hated Alexa for saying that. Because when she finally left, I turned around and realized I'd never seen Annabeth look so hurt. _Plain. _When it all came down to it; that's what everyone really thought of she knew it too. My heart shattered as she stared at me, her eyes glossy with tears, she was trying so hard not to cry, her lose hair was falling from her pony tail and in her face, but she didn't brush it away, she just kept _staring._

I couldn't bare it anymore. "Annabeth," I whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. She swatted my hand away immediately, rage and pain and disbelief all swimming in her features. "Why did you let them say that, Percy? I-I thought we were friends...why do you _care _so much about what they think?" She asked me silently, her voice shaking. My throat swelled up, I wanted to fall to her feet and beg for forgiveness. "Am I really that much of an embarrassment?" she choked out.

I couldn't meet her eyes again. I wanted to jump off a cliff and splatter on the surface, I probably deserved it. I hated me. I hated my stupid big fat mouth. I hated that my reputation controlled me and a bunch of stupid, mean girls could change me in an instant.

After a moment of silence, Annabeth pushed past me and rushed out of the store, when she looked back, I saw tears in her eyes.

So I ran after her.

"Annabeth, wait!"

* * *

***HORROR MUSIC PLAYS*  
**

**Don't worry! **

**I know I'm a complete bitch for taking so long to update then leaving you with _that..._but if you continue being your wonderful selves, I'll make sure that the next chapter pleases all Percabeth shippers that read this story.**

**Question: Which P.O.V do you guys enjoy more? Percy or Annabeth?  
**

**- M**


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